Foundation of New 'Babri Masjid' Finally Laid in Murshidabad

Suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator Humayun Kabir on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a mosque modelled on the Babri Masjid in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, on the anniversary of the 16th-century religious structure's violent demolition by a Hindutva mob in 1992.

Kabir, who had announced the foundation-laying ceremony earlier this month, cut a ceremonial ribbon alongside visiting clerics while slogans of "Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar" were raised at the venue in Beldanga, where thousands had gathered since morning, reported PTI.

The site of the ceremony was sealed into a high-security grid, with deployment of the RAF, district police, and central forces on both sides of the National Highway 12, after the Calcutta High Court declined to halt the event.

Refusing to intervene in the event or the construction of the mosque, Calcutta HC on Friday directed that the responsibility of maintenance of law and order during the ceremony would rest with the state government.

Kabir, who has hogged the limelight in the past with controversial statements on matters, including the party's internal affairs, was suspended by the TMC on Thursday for indulging in what it termed "communal politics."

The suspended leader subsequently announced his decision to resign as MLA and launch his own party later this month.